


The Upstairs Neighbor

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Castiel Likes Dean Winchester, Castiel asks Dean out, Castiel lives alone, Castiel loves dogs, Comic book illustrator, Dean fangirls over Cas, Dean is a huge fan, Dean moves in upstairs, Dean owns a comic book store, Fluffy, Illustrator Castiel, M/M, My beta says this is the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7225714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is based on the prompt of:</p><p>"Hi, sorry, I live below you and I hear your dog running around and barking all the time and- no, no it's fine, I was just hoping maybe I could pet it?</p><p>I took a few liberties with this so it's ever so slightly different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Upstairs Neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this one, it's fluffy cuteness.

**Tuesday**

There was that noise again. Cas was at his sketch table working on the next panel for the new comic he’d been slaving over for the last three months when he heard the sound of dog toenails scratching on the hardwood floors upstairs. He lifted his head, listening, his head absently turning as he tracked the dog’s movement. When it fell silent he decided it must have found a nice, soft place to lie down. He turned back to his panel. Maybe it needed a dog. The comic had been lacking something, and he thought a dog might be fun, especially if the protagonist took a liking to it. With a soft smile on his lips he began sketching it out on a free piece of paper, his smile growing even wider as the dog took shape. Yes, the comic was definitely missing this kind of human touch.

**Thursday**

Cas could tell the dog was excited. Its owner must be home because the dog was bouncing around, it’s nails scrabbling over the floors. The sound wasn’t annoying, per se, but occasionally distracting. At the moment he was standing in his kitchen eating his dinner at the counter. He was done working on the comic for the rest of the day. It consumed so much of his time lately with the deadline looming ever closer, and he just needed a break. It was just after six, so after washing his plate and setting it in the dish rack, he decided to go out and sit in the courtyard and enjoy the last of the summer evening before night finally fell. As he descended the stairs and stepped outside he found himself wondering what kind of dog that was upstairs. It had to be over twenty pounds for him to be able to hear it. The lady that used to live up there had owned two Maltese and he’d never heard them running around, and before her someone had owned a big old mutt that Cas heard every time that thing moved. Dog was a hundred and twenty pounds of fur, but it had been sweet and friendly. Funny enough, he remembered the dog but not who had owned it. He liked animals, found a sort of kinship with them, but oftentimes, thanks to his own introverted nature, he didn’t often speak directly to their owners, or if he did, he had trouble maintaining eye contact or finding something interesting to talk about. 

Most people were initially fascinated to hear that he was a comic book illustrator and author, but once they found out which comics he wrote, that initial interest often turned to mild, or on occasion, outright distaste, and they stopped talking to him. Apparently it was socially unacceptable to associate with someone that wrote the country’s most popular gay comic. He had written plenty of others before this one, and they were ones that people the world over loved. He did comic book conventions all year long and people loved to comment on his books, but only gay men ever gushed over his latest series. Still, he appreciated it. He had written it to give a voice and a hero to people in the LGBQT community that loved comics but were tired of characters being whitewashed, or being secondary characters. He wanted people of the rainbow community to be seen as strong, important people in his books, and that was exactly how he portrayed them. Despite it mostly being gay teenagers that came to see him at the cons, he knew for a fact that all across the board, his books were selling like mad, so people were definitely reading them.

He walked to the bench nearest the doors and sat down under the shade of the big oak, facing the building. Maybe the owner would come out with his dog by this exit. He sort of hoped he could meet the owner, and the dog. Would the owner be a man or a woman? Would they be friendly and polite? Maybe they were crass and rude. There were a few people in the building like that. Sometimes he thought about moving away, buying his own house and having all the quiet he could possibly stand, and while the thought was highly appealing, he didn’t want to do that alone. He wanted someone to share his life with. And maybe a dog of his own. After Bowser, his English bulldog, had passed away three years ago he hadn’t gotten another dog. He wanted one, but he just hadn’t gotten one yet. Bowser used to travel everywhere with him and frequently showed up in his comics. Man he missed that dog.

As he watched, Lauren from four oh six came out the doors. She was dressed for her evening run, phone secured inside an arm band, buds already being tucked in her ears. She saw him and waved. He waved back. A few minutes later Mr. Cortez in one eighteen came out. Now Mr. Cortez had a dog, and sometimes Cas mused that the dog was nearly as old as his owner. Mr. Cortez was in his early eighties and his dog Lupe was an old, raggedy looking Yorkie mix he had found as a puppy in 1995 and had kept. He said Lupe kept him young, but Cas thought he did the same for Lupe. She was old, toothless, eyes white with blindness, arthritic, but she wagged her tail happily, ears perking up high for anyone she heard coming, and she always had a kiss ready for anyone that stopped to pet her. Cas liked Lupe. Despite being as old as she was, she didn’t smell like a dirty dog. Every two weeks, Mr. Cortez took her to a groomer where she was pampered and treated like royalty. Once, Cas had driven Mr. Cortez and Lupe to the groomer himself and had seen the way the ladies all fawned over the elderly dog, showering her with attention as she was gently bathed, brushed, and trimmed. Cas always knew when Lupe had been to the groomer because there would be a new bow in her hair afterwards. As he watched, Mr. Cortez move off the pavement and into the grass, leaning on his cane as he went; Lupe followed. Cas could see the pretty purple bow in the dog’s hair. He secretly hoped that when Lupe finally did go, that it wasn’t until her owner was ready to go. Anyone that met the old man and his dog would know that they were each other’s best friend, and neither would do well without the other. Theirs was a story of true love, if he ever saw it. Out of fondness, he had once included Lupe into one of his stories. Mr. Cortez had raved over that particular book, and had thanked him while Lupe slept in Cas’ lap. As the old man passed the bench he smiled and nodded in greeting. Cas did the same in return. 

Several other people came and went from the building, most he knew, some were new faces. He saw a man in a black tee shirt and jeans come out and head for the parking lot. Cas knew the vast majority of the people in the building, at least by sight since he wasn’t very social, but he did not know this man. It was hard to tell from where he was sitting if the man was attractive or not, but if his body was anything to go by, it was definitely piquing Cas’ interest. He thought the man would get in a car and drive away, but instead he was jogging back up the path to the door with something clutched in his hand. Cas smiled when he realized it was a bag of dog treats. So perhaps this was his new neighbor. 

Cas lingered until the sun had set and then, having had his fill of the outside, wandered back inside and up to his apartment. As he settled onto the couch with a glass of wine to watch a documentary, he heard the distinct sound of a ball being tossed across the floor upstairs and then the scramble of toenails as the dog took off after it. So the owner was playing with the dog. That brought a smile to his lips. It reminded him of Bowser. He had lived in this building for twelve years, and he’d had Bowser since he had published his very first comic at the tender age of nineteen. He had been living with his girlfriend Meg at the time. By the time he was twenty, he’d suspected he wasn’t straight. By twenty one he’d known he was gay. It was time to move on and to let Meg go. It hadn’t been a bitter breakup, and they were still friends. She had understood him in a way that no one else had ever been able to, and he was grateful for her friendship. He’d had Bowser ten years, until one day the dog started moving slower. He started whimpering when he would stand up or lie down, so Cas had taken him to the doctor. The news that his dog had cancer had been a devastating, but to hear that it was already so advanced that there wasn’t much they could do, that had been the hardest thing of all. He’d gone from waking up every morning with his best friend in his bed to having no one. He went home alone that day, after holding his dear pet while he was euthanized, and cried for the next month. People that were not “animal people” didn’t understand. A pet was more than just an animal, they were family, an extension of your soul, and it had shattered something inside him when he’d lost his pet. That had been three years ago. Sometimes he thought he was ready for another dog, and other times just the memory of Bowser would cause him to burst into tears. He doubted his abilities to ever love another dog as much as he had loved his Bowser. Still, he loved seeing the dogs in his building, or even hearing them play through walls or ceilings. It was comforting. As he watched the documentary, he listened to the dog upstairs playing with its owner, and he didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night.

**Saturday**

Cas was sitting at his sketch table working on one of the very last panels when he heard barking. It wasn’t the dog upstairs, though, it was the one in the unit next door. A cocker spaniel mix named Nugget. The dog sounded frantic, which worried him, so he got up and opened his apartment door. The barking grew louder as he drew closer to the door next to his.

“Is she home?” 

Cas turned to see his neighbors Roz and Sally standing in their doorway. So they had heard Nugget barking too. 

“I don’t know. Maybe?” He knocked on the door, which just made Nugget start barking even more furiously. There were noises coming from inside the apartment that didn’t sound like the dog so he knocked again, louder.

“Help!” he heard a weak voice say.

“Shit!” He turned and dashed back to his own apartment. Mrs. Grazier lived next door to him. She was a sweet old lady that had endured two hip replacements and a knee replacement in the last ten years. After each of her surgeries, he had offered to walk Nugget for her until she was well enough to do it, and they had ended up becoming good friends. Good enough friends that she had entrusted him with a key to her apartment. He found it in the side table drawer next to the couch and grabbed both it and his cell phone. By the time he got back to the door Roz and Sally were standing at the door looking frightened.

“I think she’s hurt,” Roz said. He saw she had her cell phone out already. 

“Call 911. I’m going to see what happened.” He shoved his own phone in his pocket as he unlocked the door. Nugget wasn’t a young dog, but she was bouncing around, yipping and whining as she followed him to the bedroom. Sally and Roz both followed too.

“Oh! Cas! Thank God! I fell out of bed; I can’t move!” Mrs. Grazier cried. He knelt down at her side, pushing Nugget away gently as she tried to lick at his face.

“Are you hurt, honey?” he asked.

“I think I broke my hip. Again!” Mrs. Grazier said.

“I’ll call your daughter Tammy, ok?” he offered. “Roz here already is calling for an ambulance.” When he looked up at his neighbor she still had the phone to her ear and was explaining the situation. She gave him a thumbs up, so Cas pulled his own phone out and called Tammy Grazier-Scott. He explained the situation, and she said she was on her way. Cas was glad she only lived a couple of blocks away.

Cas held his friend’s hand until the paramedics arrived. Once they were there helping, he snapped Nugget’s leash on and held her back so she wouldn’t get in the way. Tammy’s son Marc was with her, and he took Nugget from Cas so he could bring her to their house.

“Thank you, Cas. I’m so glad she has Nugget, and I’m glad she has a neighbor like you that cares.” Tammy had cried as she hugged him. He had done a bit of that himself as he hugged her back. 

Once the drama was over, Cas returned to his own apartment, but he was unable to draw. Instead, he grabbed himself a beer and went to sit on his patio. It was small, barely big enough for a tiny table and two chairs so he didn’t come out here often, but he needed fresh air and heading out to the courtyard just wasn’t appealing, not with a beer in his hand. He settled into one of the chairs and put his feet up on the railing. The scenery wasn’t spectacular, but he had a nice view of the park a few blocks away. Above him he heard the distinct sound of a patio door opening. So his neighbor was home.

“Come on, Delilah, do your business and let’s go watch the game.” 

The voice was deep and sent shivers down Cas’ spine to hear. Was that the man in the black tee shirt and jeans from a few days earlier? He found himself dropping his feet to the floor and sitting forward so he could see the balcony above his own. He had to strain to see it, but whoever lived up there, they weren’t leaning over their own railing, so he couldn’t put a face that that amazing voice.

“Good girl, you are _such_ a good girl!” the man praised. So that was why Cas hadn’t seen the mystery dog in the apartment upstairs. The man didn’t walk her. That seemed kind of odd. Or maybe he did, and Cas just wasn’t seeing it. It wasn’t like he was stalking his neighbors. He sat back and put his feet back up on the railing. When his beer was finished he went back inside to rinse the bottle and put it in the recycling bin. Upstairs he could hear the dog - Delilah - running around again. It brought a smile to his face. She sounded like a happy dog and apparently well loved. His curiosity was getting the better of him though, and he was dying to see what she looked like. And what game was his neighbor watching? He’d been contemplating watching the Cubs vs. the Braves game. Was that what the man with the sexy voice was planning to watch? Curiosity finally got the better of him though and the next thing he knew, he found himself climbing the steps to the second floor. They lived in a building with a raised first floor, because there were several businesses beneath them, including a veterinary clinic, which was a big part of why the building allowed pets. Once he was on the second floor he made his way down to his neighbor’s door and before he could stop himself, he was knocking. There wasn’t any barking, which he thought was odd, but he did hear some shuffling. Suddenly Cas was hoping he wasn’t interrupting anything. He was contemplating turning and running for the stairs when the door opened, and he found himself face to face with a pair of intense green eyes.

“Can I help you?” The door opened a bit more, and Cas felt the wind get knocked right out of him. The man was _gorgeous_!

“Oh, um, I live in the apartment below you, and I have been hearing your dog running around and-”

Green eyes opened and suddenly the man looked worried.

“Dude, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” He glanced back over his shoulder before looking at Cas again. “She’s not being a nuisance, is she?”

Cas quickly shook his head. “N-no, not at all. I was just…” He rocked nervously on his heels as he felt his cheeks heating up. “I was wondering if I could just...pet her? I miss my own dog; he died a few years ago, and I know most of the dogs in the building. When I hear yours running around up here, it makes me smile and remember the good times with my dog.” Almost as an afterthought he thrust one hand out. “I’m Cas. One twenty.”

The man had cocked one eyebrow as he listened, but he didn’t seem put off at all. In fact, he smiled as he shook Cas’ hand.

“Dean. Dean Winchester. Come on in, man, I was just waiting for the game to start.” He opened the door a little wider, and Cas stepped inside.

“Cubs vs. Braves?” Cas asked. Dean’s smile widened and he nodded.

“That’s right. You want a beer? I haven’t really gotten to meet many neighbors since I moved in. I think you’re the second one. I met a lady named Roz, and there was an old man in the courtyard with an ancient dog one day. I think he said he lives here.” Dean was walking through the living room towards the kitchen. Cas could see that there was a baby gate up, and Dean had to climb over it.

“Hey! Delilah!” Dean called out as he opened the fridge. As Cas watched the most beautiful Australian Shepherd walked in the room, her ears perked up at the sound of her name. Well, _rolled_ into the room would have been a more accurate term. The dog was in a specially made wheelchair but the moment she spotted Cas, she headed straight for him. Dean was already on his way back, and he held out a beer to his neighbor as Cas was leaning down to scratch the dog behind her ears. She was eagerly trying to lick his face, and he laughed happily. 

“Oh, she’s so beautiful!” he gushed as he finally just dropped to his knees. Dean set his beer on the coffee table when he didn’t take it and chuckled as he sat down on the couch.

“She’s a good girl, aren’t ya, Dee?” Dean cooed. The dog’s ears perked up, and she looked at her owner before turning and hurrying over to the couch.

“May I ask what happened?” Cas asked as he got to his feet and dusted off his knees. He took the seat next to Dean on the couch.

“My ex was jealous and tried to kill her. So we left,” Dean replied. Cas looked at him in horror.

“Oh my God! How could someone do something so horrid?!”

Dean’s expression was pained but he shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a sick bastard that would want to hurt an innocent puppy. My brother bought her for me, but didn’t come and ask me first if I wanted her, and he certainly didn’t ask my ex. If he had, I’d have told him not to get her, because my ex was a violent bastard to start with, and highly jealous. I didn’t realize just _how_ jealous, until I walked in and caught him beating the hell out of my innocent little puppy. I had to beat him back. I basically knocked his ass out, then called my brother to meet me with the police. My ex got eighteen months for animal cruelty, and Delilah barely survived with her life. She can’t bark, her vocal cords were severely damaged, and she’s partially paralyzed. I didn’t give up on my girl, though. She’s the best dog you’ll ever meet.” Dean ran his fingers through the dog’s fur, and she licked his hand.

“She’s amazing, and so are you. Many would have given up and had her euthanized. I had to get my Bowser put down. He was ok at a vet visit one month and by the next month he was in excruciating pain and crying, so I rushed him into the vet. He was so far gone with cancer there was nothing they could do.” Cas wiped at his eyes as he reached for the beer Dean had brought him. “I miss him every day.”

“Dee here is my first dog. I wanted one growing up but my dad always said no. My brother bought Delilah’s littermate and was so in love with her that he went back and bought my girl as a birthday surprise for me. He was unaware that my ex and I were already on the rocks and I was gearing up to leave. I’m a big man and I’m not scared of a whole lot, but he scared me. I thought he was going to kill me, and I had lined up an apartment for me and Dee, but…” Dean sighed and leaned forward to kiss the dog on the top of her head. She snuck her tongue out and licked his cheek, making him chuckle. “I didn’t get out in time, and she paid the price for my procrastination.” 

It was clear to Cas that Dean still blamed himself for that. Cas smiled as Delilah moved to him, pushing between his legs and putting her head in his lap. 

“She’s a good judge of character,” Dean said as he observed his dog with Cas.

“Dogs usually are.” Cas buried his fingers in the dog’s black and white fur as she stared up at him with big, brown eyes.

“So, what do you do, Cas?” Dean asked.

Ah. This question. Either Dean would be impressed or weirded out. Since he’d gotten out of a same-sex relationship, Cas was really hoping it wouldn’t be the latter.

“I am a comic book author and illustrator.” He glanced over at Dean, who suddenly leaned forward and also a bit more in his direction.

“Oh yeah? Anything I might have read?”

“You read a lot of comics?” Cas asked. Dean nodded.

“I’ve been collecting them all my life. I have a massive collection in my room but if you look over there, I have boxes tucked under the bookshelves that are also full of comic books.” He pointed at a couple of book cases across the room and indeed, there were the familiar white boxes. As he looked around the apartment he saw there were framed posters and comic book prints on the walls as art. It made him smile. 

“I have written the Phoenix Fusion series, the DayStar series, Prince Dallian, and I am currently writing the Spectrum Warrior series. I’m almost done with the sixth edition.”

As Cas watched, Dean’s jaw dropped a little bit more as he rattled off each series he had written. Suddenly Dean was shooting off the couch and racing towards a door at the end of the room. The apartments mirrored one another so he knew that was Dean’s bedroom.

“Don’t move!” Dean yelled.

“I’m not,” he laughed. A minute later Dean was coming out of the room with a box under one arm and a huge, life size framed poster of a print from one of his book covers. Oh, so Dean was a fan. Apparently a _big_ fan.

“Dude! I can’t believe you live _here_! That is so amazing! I’ve read everything you’ve ever done! Including the book you published on your life as an illustrator and author. I knew you lived in this state, but I had no idea you lived in my building! Aren’t you like, rich? Why are you in an apartment building?” Dean was rambling as he lowered the box down carefully onto the couch. He turned the framed print around. “You know, you signed this and I paid a thousand for it.”

Cas was about to break the man’s heart. “Um, I hate to break it to you, but I never signed any prints except the ones I sign at conventions, and I’ve never signed one that big.” He leaned forward, squinting at the signature. “And that’s not my signature. They spelled my first name wrong.”

Dean looked so crestfallen as he turned the poster back around to look at it.

“What?” His voice was broken, and now it was Cas who felt bad.

“I’m sorry, Dean, but if you’d like, I would happily sign it for you now. Might you have a Sharpie?”

Dean looked up again, hope returning and lighting his green eyes up again.

“Yeah? I mean, you don’t have to do that…”

Cas chuckled. “Just grab me a working marker. If you don’t have one I can run down to my place and grab one.”

Dean leaned the poster against the wall by the door and hurried to a desk in the corner. He searched for several minutes, during which Cas got lost in the game.

“Cubs are up by two,” he said as Dean made a sound of triumph. He rushed back to the couch and handed the marker over. 

“If you are ok with it, I mean.”

“Of course.” Cas smiled as he gently moved Delilah so he could stand up. He waited for Dean to open the frame and take out the plexiglass so he had access to the paper.

“Would you like a personalized one or something general?”

Dean thought for a moment. “Your call. I’d be happy with whatever.”

Cas nodded and quickly wrote out a message in a lighter corner of the print. When he stepped back, Dean leaned in to read it. 

_Dean,_

_It was a pleasure meeting you and Delilah both._

_Castiel Novak_

The man grinned as he turned back to look at him.

“It’s awesome meeting you too, Cas. I know me and Dee agree on that, right girl?” Dean looked down at the dog, whose entire body trembled excitedly at hearing her master talking to her.

“So, what’s in the box?” Cas asked as he watched Dean put the plexiglass back. He left the frame leaning against the wall as he returned to the couch. Lifting up the box, he sat down again, this time a little closer to where Cas was sitting, and set the box on the floor between his feet.

“This is basically everything you’ve ever done.”

“Big fan?” Cas asked with a laugh. Dean blushed and ducked his head as he reached into the box. He flicked through dozens of issues before finding what he was looking for.

“You signed this one for my brother. He went to the convention for me when I couldn’t get away from work. It was right about the time you were starting the Spectrum Warrior series, which by the way, _genius_ , and he bought this issue as a rare collectible. He said he waited in line for close to an hour just to get his chance to meet you and get this signed. He raved about how smart and polite you were, not like other people he met that day. You also signed a poster he bought, but that was for his son.” Dean handed the issue over and Cas took it, holding it gingerly. While he had access to a lot of his own issues, including first editions of everything, he still had incredible respect for items his fans had purchased with their hard-earned money. Without them, he wouldn’t be where he was. He could see his signature scrawled across the cover. This one was authentic.

_Dean,_

_Stay strong, don’t let anyone try to dim your light~_

_Castiel Novak_

“My brother said he had a quick conversation with you, about what I was going through, and that your series was actually what gave me the strength to leave. See, no one knew Neil was my boyfriend, except my brother. They all thought we were roommates because I was so scared to come out of the closet. Until he almost killed Delilah and beat me bad enough that I needed to have ribs set and my jaw wired. I said screw it and came clean with my family. They said they all pretty much knew already, and they didn’t care what my orientation was, as long as I was safe. I have everything you’ve written so far in the Spectrum Warrior series, but that first issue…” Dean smiled softly. “It meant a lot to me. I sort of feel like it made me the man I am today.”

Cas was humbled by Dean’s words. He’d been told many times before that he had affected the lives of other people, but not like this. The sincerity in Dean’s voice was like nothing he had heard before. He smiled as he handed the book back.

“I’m glad that you survived. Do you know why I wrote the series? My agent tried to advise me against it. I told her to go to hell. I had a story that needed to be told, and so I am telling it.” He looked up to see those green eyes watching him. 

“I know what the articles I’ve read say, but I’d prefer to hear it from you,” Dean said.

“I moved out when I was eighteen. Went away to college, where I met Meg. I’d never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before and never thought about my orientation. I come from a deeply religious family that discouraged my artistic side. Said I would be letting the devil in if I continued to draw monsters and other such creatures. Except I had a scholarship, so I went to school for art. I majored in it. I met Meg that first year, and she was so pretty and funny. I just liked being around her; we had fun. Before long we were looking for our own apartment. I sold my first comic book and had a contract to complete a series by the time I was nineteen, so...I wanted the things I couldn’t have as a kid. So I got a dog. Bowser came from a high quality breeder. Meg and me, we got a decent apartment and continued with our studies. When I was twenty, I met Rob. I didn’t cheat, but I was alarmed to find that I was attracted to him in a way that I wasn’t attracted to Meg. It faded, but then I slowly started opening my eyes. I questioned myself and struggled for a while. I thought I was bi, but I realized it wasn’t ever sexual attraction that I’d felt for Meg. She was my best friend, my confidant, the person I could sit up all night drinking hot cocoa with and talking to. She wasn’t mad when I finally realized I was gay. We split amicably, much to the anger of my family. They thought I’d marry her. They _expected_ me to marry her. Instead, I came out as gay.”

Cas looked down at his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. “They didn’t take it well. My older brother beat me so bad I spent a month in the hospital. No one except Meg and my friends Charlie and Beth came to see me that entire time. Meg had been keeping Bowser for me, and when I got out, she helped me with settling back into my apartment here. My family has not spoken to me in over ten years. I have seven nieces and nephews, two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law, and not a single one of them will talk to me.” He barked out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “But my dad, he has emphysema. Years of smoking. He’s stage four. My sister Anna actually had the nerve to track me down and ask me to pay for his medical expenses. I told her I don’t have a father because mine died long ago in my eyes.”

“Damn, they sugar coat that in the media. I had no idea. I’m so sorry, man.” Dean laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

“Thank you. Meg has since moved to Connecticut for her job, and she met the man of her dreams. They have a little girl, Ruby. Sweetest and cutest kid you’ll ever see. Calls me Uncle Cas.” Cas poured all of the love that he wasn’t able to pour into his own nieces and nephews into that little girl. She and Meg were his family, and Gil, Meg’s husband, who was a wonderful and understanding man. “Charlie still lives here in town, and Beth travels for her job, so I don’t see her nearly as often. They’re my family.”

Dean sat back on the couch, stretching his arm across the back of it. Cas was aware that his arm was there but it didn’t bother him.

“So you see why they sugar coat it when they talk about me. That’s why I tell it all in my books.”

“That makes absolute sense. It’s a really good series; I’m enjoying it very much,” Dean said.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Cas wiped at his eyes and forced himself to smile. “Really, I don’t go around just randomly crying.”

“It’s justified. I admire your strength, Cas. You’re a hell of a lot tougher than I am.” Dean’s fingers brushed across Cas’ shoulder, and it was comforting.

“Thank you.” Cas found his beer and took a sip while Dean put his book back in the box and closed it up.

“So do you live alone with Delilah?” he asked.

“Yep. I’ve dated a bit, but you’d be surprised by how many people really can’t handle a special needs animal. She’s such a great dog, but she has accidents and sometimes knocks things over, and needs a lot of care, including special massages and water therapy. I’m not giving up on her just to suit someone else.” 

“And you shouldn’t have to. Delilah is wonderful. If someone really loved you, they’d see that.” Cas smiled at the dog, who quickly repositioned herself between Cas’ legs. He ran his fingers through her fur again. She was incredibly soft.

“What about you, Cas? A famous comic book author and illustrator like you must have someone.” There was a twinkle in Dean’s eye that made Cas actually do a double take to make sure he was seeing it right.

“Oh, um, no. I live alone, and I’m single. My last serious relationship was about two years ago, and he didn’t like the new series I was writing, so I dumped him.”

“Cold,” Dean chuckled. “But necessary, it sounds like.”

“Quite. He was a narcissistic asshat who said what I write is not real literature.”

“Ouch. Well, if it’s any consolation, I beg to differ.” Dean had positioned himself so that he was partially facing Cas, and his arm was along the back of the couch again. It had Cas tingling just being this close in proximity to someone as beautiful and nice as Dean.

“So, what do you do? I don’t believe you told me.” 

Dean was blushing again and rubbing nervously at the back of his neck.

“Promise not to laugh?”

Cas made the sign of the cross over his heart. “I promise.”

“I own a comic book shop about six blocks from here. The Joker’s Corner? That’s mine.”

“Why would I laugh? That’s amazing! It would also explain all of the art and knick knacks I am seeing around here,” Cas chuckled. “I think that’s wonderful.”

“Yeah? Cause that was my big, nerd dream as a kid, to own my own comic book store. Three years ago, I succeeded. Bought it right after my epic breakup. It was that _or_ my own house. I went for the shop. I’m making decent money and I’m doing something I love, so there’s nothing better than that.”

“I want to move into my own house someday, but I don’t want to live alone.” Cas sighed. “Until then I’ll just keep doing my work and tours.”

“Yeah, same,” Dean agreed. He was thoughtfully quiet through the rest of the second inning. During a commercial break he ordered a pizza and took Delilah out again. When he brought her back inside he removed her wheelchair and brought her up on the couch, where she happily spread herself across both of their laps. She flipped onto her back and fell asleep with Cas stroking the soft fur of her chest while Dean checked her legs for any sores. When the pizza came, Dean got up to pay for it, and Cas took the opportunity to gently lift Delilah all the way into his lap. She licked his chin happily as he held her, and he laughed in delight.

“She really likes you,” Dean said as he sat down again. When Delilah lifted her head to sniff the air, he made a clicking noise with his tongue and she immediately turned away, pointedly ignoring the box and its contents.

“She’s missing like half of her intestines. She’s on a special diet so she can process the food she eats, and doesn’t get fat. Weight gain will put pressure on her elbows and cause early onset arthritis,” he explained as he opened the box.

“I completely understand. I am not a fan in general of giving dogs table food to start with.” Cas held out his left hand and splayed his fingers so Dean could see the scars that spanned three of them. “That there? Was because I was at a friend’s house, and we were eating dinner. They give their dogs table food all the time and didn’t think anything of it. Well, they had this poodle, Snoopy. Snoopy is a pushy bastard. I was raised that the hand you are not eating with is to remain in your lap until either you need it or you’re finished eating. Anyway, I had just cut my chicken and put my empty hand in my lap when Snoopy lunged and bit me. He thought I had food. I had to go to the hospital, and as a general rule now, if a friend has pets, I do not accept invitations to dinner,” Cas said.

“I’m right there with you. I can’t stand the begging. Even if Dee here wasn’t on a no people food diet, she would still be on a no people food diet, if you know what I mean,” Dean handed Cas a slice of the pizza with a napkin.

“I do understand. You didn’t have to feed me, but thank you.”

Dean smiled shyly as Cas accepted the food.

“I like you; you’re really nice. Besides, I don’t really get to socialize much outside of work, especially with people that like Delilah.”

Cas smiled back and for a moment they simply stared at one another.

“Dean, would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?” He shocked even himself with that one. Dean’s smile widened.

“I would love to. Can Dee come?”

Cas’ smile grew as wide as Dean’s. “Absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you liked this one. Comments are always welcome. :)
> 
> And for the record, I abhor feeding dogs table food. If I know people do that, I do not go to their houses during meal times. It's a huge pet peeve of mine. I hate when they're pushy and when they stare. When I was 19 my mom, my friend, and I traveled down to visit my mom's best friend from childhood for Thanksgiving that year. Well, her best friend lived in a trailer at the time and had a big family that she had invited. She had 6 kids between her and her husband, and all of them were there, plus us 3, plus her brother and the brother's girlfriend...and well, you can just imagine how many people were crammed around the table. Like seriously, there was zero elbow room so you couldn't have both hands on the table like EVER. I'm left handed, so I was eating with my left hand, while my right was resting in my lap. My mom's friend had this ill groomed poodle named Snoopy, so now you know where Cas got that story from. Anyway, they fed Snoopy from their plates so he would beg, and he was terrible about it. All through dinner he was running under the table, from one person to the other, begging. I had pushed him away with my foot like ten times and I was getting very frustrated. Then out of the blue the bastard just lunges and bites my hand. I had not touched food with that hand, so he KNEW I didn't have scraps. He was just mad that he wasn't getting what he wanted. I screamed and pulled my hand up and I was bleeding! Everyone (save for my mom who tried to stop the bleeding and my friend who sat there in shock) was laughing and my mom's friend was just like "Oh, he thought you had something for him". I was like "No, I don't feed dogs table scraps." My mom got the bleeding to stop but by that point I was done. They had LET THE DOG UP ON THE DAMN TABLE and he was running around to all of the plates gobbling up food! It was the most disgusting thing I'd ever witnessed in my life! And as if THAT wasn't bad enough? The dog's fur was so matted and full of fleas and dog crap that he REEKED. I had to hold my nose. When they offered dessert, I declined and went to sit outside. I was sort of ok with people feeding their dogs table scraps until that. Now, it infuriates me, and if a dog even thinks of looking in my direction while I'm eating, I snap at it to go away. It makes me very angry. My best friend gives her dog table food but the dog knows full well that I will not give her a single bite, so she will beg off everyone BUT me. Like, if she sees me with food, she actually leaves the room. My friend tried a long time ago to tell me it was ok to feed the dog and I said no, it's really not. She understands my anxiety with it and now tells the dog to go lay down if we happen to be at her house eating together. Cause oh....such a pet peeve. 
> 
> For the record, Snoopy was an asshole. They got 2 more dogs down the road and I liked the Boston and the Chihuahua. The Chi would run to me and ask to be picked up to get away from Snoopy because Snoopy was a jerk to him. If people came over he would go all dominant and hump the shit out of the Chi until the dog was pressed face first into the floor crying, and no one but me would help him. So the Chi (I really wish I could remember his name) knew that if I was there, I'd hold him and protect him. Snoopy was so pushy and mean that he would try to hump the other dog IN MY LAP. Nope! I sent him away! They had moved to a small house without a sit down kitchen or dining room by that point, and so we ate in the living room, and Snoopy would jump into my lap and bite me to get at my plate. I'm not a violent person, and I'm not mean. I love animals, but honest to God, I hated that dog. AND HE LIVED FOR TWENTY FREAKING YEARS! It got to the point that I hated visiting them while that dog was alive. My mom's friend has since passed away, and I really hope that if she's back with Snoopy again, that he's infinitely better behaved than he was while he was here, lol. But yeah, can't stand begging. Besides the fact that it's not good for a dog (and you will NOT convince me otherwise, so don't bother trying), I prefer to eat my meals without eyes boring into my head, and with all of my fingers intact.


End file.
